Today I had my first muni ride. And boy did I like it! I got a KH29. Since September 2014 I’ve just ridden a 20" 2 miles to school and back. UDC had a sale on KH unicycles, and I got one!
I was very surprised how I managed to get on one and ride it. It was delivered somewhere else, and I rode it home. Very surprised from riding a 20 I managed to get on a 29 and ride it perfectly fine no trouble. It thought I would have to learn it before riding it!
I went up the woods (I live near some mountain bike trails) and rode it. I managed to ride 8 miles (I do do a lot of road cycing)on my first ever ride on a Muni! Although my legs are aching so much. I fell off once, but still! There are a lot of steep hills too, I think I need to get a brake (im banned from riding my 20 to school because they dont have brakes, tried to explain you don’t need one but they wouldn’t listen). The only other unicycle I’ve ridden was a 20.
Some mountain bikers were their and couldn’t believe what they where seeing. You get the really cocky ones on full suspension MTB who think they are the best, then they see me on 1 wheel, no handlebars brakes, suspension!
Unigeezers videos inspired me to start Muni riding. I think now I’ve discovered a sport that I enjoy and can do it every day, and get rid of some weight. I used to be really chubby, but since I’ve started unicycling its just dissapered. My posture used to be bad, I was leaning forward a lot (proberly from my road bike) but now it is straight.
Anyway, thanks for answering my questions I’ve posted before! So glad I got one now.
There is something very satisfying about mUni. I enjoy learning new technique on my 20", but that is often a matter of delayed gratification. I try to ride every day, but I have to alternate between street and mUni, because mUni really wears me out. Keep us posted on your progress climbing hills. I am a big fan of the t-bar; it makes climbing hills much more ergonomic than pulling on the seat-handle, and it has helped me avoid damaging the tendons in my forearms; you might think about adding one of those. A brake is nice but you have to be disciplined about learning to use it. I have a long way to go before I feel comfortable using my brake. I was out on the trail the other day; a group of MTBers passed me; one screamed to his buddies, “I just saw my first mountain unicycle!” Enjoy your 29"!
Great job. You sound very mature for a 15yr old. Keep up the good progress!
Muni is awesome, it drfits me away from every hassles and gets me more in tuned with Nature, of it’s serenity and animal sounds.
Heck, i nearly hugged a tree today!
As for your school moaning about having no brakes - at least under UK law, a fixed, direct-drive wheel counts as a brake. Having one brake per wheel means that a unicycle (a normal, non-coasting one) technically is legal, at least in terms of brakes. Fixie bikes are a bit of a tough one, as it does say ‘direct drive’ (IE. pedals bolted right to the wheel), but most are fine with a fixie rear wheel with a front brake. To be honest it sounds like they’re just looking for a reason to complain!
MUni is an amazing everyday sport, if you’ve got somewhere to do it. You don’t even need as big a spot to ride, as usually 5-10 miles is enough!
I recently got my first MUni a few weeks ago (Nimbus Oracle 26") and have also fell in love with MUni. As another poster said, learning tricks on a 20" is incredibly fun, challenging and rewarding, but there’s a certain “hyper-focus” state you attain when riding MUni that few other activities can compare to…it’s like meditating while staying balanced on a single wheel.
And yes, the looks mountain bikers give you as you cruise by on a MUni were enough to make the frustrating months of learning worth it.
